Transition Mulling Sept. 12, 2011

This was the first mulling meeting for the effort to transition Huntsville to a more resilient place to live.
Details of the meeting after the break.
Location: Home of Michele Sneed 414 Voekel Road Hunstville, AL 35811

Those in attendance:

• Michele Sneed
• Ben Clark
• Follin Clark
• Joel Hughes
• Debra Hughes
• Alan Booker
• Rebecca Zurn

All attendees were a part of the Permaculture class which took place the previous Saturday at The Farmhouse at Springdale Farm.
Our first order of business was for Michele to explain what she had in mind for the meeting. A large sheet of paper was taped to the back of a door and post-it notes were provided to post ideas. Being the first meeting, the main thrust was for each member to talk through their interests in the transition process in Huntsville. Throughout the meeting Follin would take the suggestions and post them on the board for later documentation. The meeting proceeded with several topics being discussed at various times; these are the topics and some conclusions reached in their discussion:

Localizing the Economy

Government Policy Changes

Zoning changes - in order to facilitate resilient communities, it was suggested that typical single-use zoning would need to be modified. Without municipal allowances to have commercial properties near and interspersed within residential communities, a long-distance (automobile) travel is necessitated. To build walkability in a community, necessary shops must be close to the residents that use them. One of the first steps in accomplishing this is by the use of zoning to allow those opportunities.
Chicken laws - given the current restrictive nature of the Huntsville city ordinance regarding keeping chickens in a residential area (must be 150ft from another residence), keeping chickens within the city limits is not feasible. A quick fix to this would be to show the city council members both a desire to have the law changed and examples of cities that have successfully relaxed chicken restrictions. It was suggested that having a petition signing at a local store (such as Earth Fare) might improve the favor of this move in the eyes of the council. List of Chicken Ordinances

Alternative Currency

Timebank - examples were brought up about places which implement a way to trade in time and services. The idea was that a person could accrue time in a way they were good at and then be able to use this time currency to pay for some other service.
Couponing - Restaurants.com was mentioned as an example of businesses drawing customers by participating in a discounting program. It was suggested that local restaurants might offer discounts through certain channels to those wanting to participate in an eat local effort.
Hohenwald Transition was mentioned as a possible resource for local currency efforts.
Business to business discounts - in order to increase effect of local money, businesses could participate in a program to stimulate the trading of local services. This is done to keep money local rather than having it pass quickly through the area.
Identification of Local Businesses - a local business directory would be an initial way to promote local business. It was mentioned that this would be well received in the area and a good effort to begin discussions of local business.
Michele agreed to do some research in the area of localizing the economy with book recommendations from Alan. Joel and Deb are very interested in the local business directory.

Education

Reskilling - a part of transition initiatives is education in areas that have been forgotten in the haste of recent progress. Such traditionally useful skills such as cooking, gardening, home maintenance, and many others are not seen as needed. A great thrust of the group would be to facilitate this teaching of new old skills.
Central information on Transition Huntsville - in order to keep everyone up to date on the current status, a central information source is needed. This blog is the first step in that direction. Its goal is to keep current and potential members informed of what is going on in the Huntsville area regarding transition.
Disaster Preparedness - after the recent severe weather, this topic resounds with many community members. As part of building resilience, prepaing the community for events such as the numerous tornadoes that hit the area combines well with the other goals of transition. While specific plans have not been made, this is a potential starting point for outreach.
Historical Research - although transition as a formal movement is less than a decade old, resilient societies existed long ago. As cheap energy becomes more scarce, returning to these models of community will be necessary. This research can provide the movement ideas for what works and what is necessary.
Mentoring - as part of the education process, an emphasis on interaction and guiding will play an important role.
Videos - it is suggested in the transition guidelines to use events such as video showings to increase community awareness. Annie Leonard was mentioned with her 'The Story of Stuff'.

Social Networking

Transition Streets - transition is a return to localized groups. Basing transition at the street level allows a community to keep continually in contact. Building a neighbor network is something that should be done now.
Mapping - a powerful tool in communicating, visioning, and planning. There are options to pursue when mapping becomes a needed part of the transition.
Hospitality - can be accomplished now to build a cohesive community.
Virtual Network - current technology helps us in relating to one another. Although it does not match the connection of face-to-face networking, it will play an important role in transition. Easy connection to other transition groups is also possible through this network.
Community Gardens - local food goals can be supplemented by setting up these gardens. A community which together generates and uses at least part of its own food will build confidence in their own resilience.
Theme Groups - various groups will form around the numerous goals of the transition group. These sub-groups will eventually meet separately and pursue specific goals for the community as a whole. Examples include: food, energy, transportation, etc.
Church Involvement and Infrastructure - many social connections and programs are sponsored by churches. We should look into what they are doing and try to unite efforts.
Volunteer Network Directory for Communities - a good goal for neighborhoods is to have a directory of people with necessary skills. Such a directory would increase connections in the community.
Fallen Fruit Map - there are many harvestable foods in the area that typically are ignored. A map of these would be a resource for those in need of food.

Later Meetings

Correspond with next two Permaculture classes at The Farmhouse.

• October 17 - movie screening, disaster preparedness, at Randolph School
• November 7 - transition meeting